The Magazine of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu July 2017 - 40

Christina Segerholm

can always improve not only what I'm
working on but also my own abilities.
I want a job where I can feel like I'm
making a difference in the world and am
productive; one that does not consume
me. I want a job where I can still play
hockey on the weekends and spend
time with my family and friends. At the
end of the day, a fancy job title is not
going to make you happy. You have to
like what you do in order to like who you
are. My dream job is a position in which
I can be proud to tell people what I do.
Whom do you admire
(professionally and/or personally)
and why?
I have come to admire quite a few
people in my life. They range from
teachers and professors, to managers
and mentors, to colleagues and friends.
I appreciate confidence, but not
cockiness. I admire honesty, especially
during hard situations. I treasure
random acts of kindness and am a
huge believer of hard work, especially
in groups. I believe managers who
recognize and promote hard work are
the best type of leaders.
In what direction do you think that
the engineering and other IEEE
fields of interest are headed in the
next 10 years?
Towards cloud computing. The idea
that you can spin up and take down
instances of programs when their
request frequency changes is very
attractive. It's interesting because cloud
hardware is pretty basic; it feels like we
are taking a step backwards. Instead
of making a special high performance
40

computer, we can just put a few cheap
machines together. We are drifting
away from specializing hardware for
one specific task. Now, we are focusing
on how to make hardware generic
enough to run any type of program. To
achieve this, there must be a software
layer that controls the program's
position within the cloud, and what
data it has access to. With that said,
I also think security will have to grow
since the data in the cloud will be
easier to grab if you are sharing a piece
of hardware with another program.
What is the most important thing
you've learned in school?
How to learn. Sure, engineering
teaches you how to find the pH level of
a solution, how to find the acceleration
of a box sliding down a ramp, and even
how to find the magnetic field induced
by a current. However, to be completely
honest, none of these stands even
close to the most important lesson:
learning how to learn. It sounds silly, but
everyone learns differently and figuring
out how to grasp a new concept is an
essential skill to have. Even when we
leave school, we still learn, whether we
want to admit it or not. Getting yourself
to understand a certain subject can
really make a difference, not just on
the job, but also in life.
What advice would you give to
other students entering college
and considering studying your
major?
Engineering and coding are both very
similar to playing an instrument. You
don't become Mozart overnight; it

If you have a question,
ask it. Chances are,
many other students
will be thinking the
same thing
takes practice...lots of practice. Even
if you think you have it, sometimes
you need to go over it that one extra
time to be sure. I also found that
teaching other students or explaining
problems to peers really helps me
better understand the subject.
Also, don't be afraid to ask questions.
Do not be afraid will look stupid or that
the professor is going to get annoyed
with you. If you have a question, ask
it. Chances are, many other students
will be thinking the same thing and
the professor will know you are paying
attention! This goes for working as well;
never be afraid to ask your manager or
mentor questions.
Finish this sentence. "If I had more
time, I would ..."
Build my own version of Dr. Mario for
the iPhone. Volunteer more with Habitat
for Humanity. Travel the world. Learn
how to do a backflip. Talk to the younger
generation about how awesome
coding is. Learn how to fence. Train for
American Ninja Warrior. Learn the guitar.
Learn how to surf. Run a marathon. Train
for a triathlon. Grow my own tomatoes.
Make a pizza from scratch.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Magazine of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu July 2017
